1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fanless high-efficiency cooling device that is applicable to electronic products having heat sources, such as plasma display panel (PDP) televisions, liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, and liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, and more particularly to a fanless high-efficiency cooling device that is capable of noiselessly eliminating heat generated from an electronic product through forced convection of ion wind without using a cooling fan, and increasing the velocity of the ion wind, whereby cooling efficiency of the fanless high-efficiency cooling device is improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display panel (PDP) televisions, liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, and liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors have fluorescent substance emitting-type display units. Such display units are advantageous to realize realistic screens. Also, the display units are not influenced by the magnetic field of the earth. Consequently, the display units provide clear and vivid images anywhere. Furthermore, the display units have advantages in that there is no difference in screen quality between the center part of the screen and the edge part of the screen.
However, driving voltages of such electronic products as described above are very high with the result that power consumption of the electronic products is great. Also, high temperature is generated from heat sources, such as a power supply that supplies power to a heat-generating part, for example, a rear panel, a panel driving circuit, and a light emitting diode (LED) unit. In order to eliminate such high temperature, cooling devices are mounted in the electronic products.
Examples of such cooling devices are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 1 is a view showing the structure of a conventional fan-type cooling device.
In an electronic product, to which the conventional fan-type cooling device shown in FIG. 1 is applied, a rear heat-generating part 1 of the electronic product is covered by a rear case 2, and a plurality of heat-source elements 3 are mounted to the rear heat-generating part 1 in the rear case 2.
In order to eliminate heat generated from the plurality of heat-source elements 3 of the electronic product, a cooling fan 4 is disposed at an outlet opening 2A formed at one side of the rear case 2. At the other side of the rear case 2 is formed an inlet opening 2B.
When the cooling fan 4 is operated, forced convection is created in the rear case 2. As a result, external cool air is introduced into the rear case 2 through the inlet opening 2B, and internal hot air is discharged out of the rear case 2 through the outlet opening 2A.
The conventional fan-type cooling device as described above has excellent cooling efficiency. However, the conventional fan-type cooling device has problems in that the cooling fan is vibrated when the cooling fan is operated, and noise is generated by friction between the cooling fan and air.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, various efforts have been made. For example, an additional vibration isolating structure may be provided to reduce vibration and noise generated at the position where the cooling fan is mounted. Alternatively, an additional vibration isolating rubber pad may be used to reduce vibration and noise generated from the cooling fan.
In the conventional fan-type cooling device, however, reduction of vibration and noise generated from the cooling fan is limited. As a result, the conventional fan-type cooling device is not applicable to electronic products, such as televisions, that are to be operated noiselessly. For this reason, fanless-type cooling devices have been proposed to effectively solve the problems caused by the conventional fan-type cooling device.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the structure of a conventional fanless-type cooling device.
In an electronic product, to which the conventional fanless-type cooling device shown in FIG. 2 is applied, a rear heat-generating part 11 of the electronic product is covered by a rear case 12, and a plurality of heat-source elements 13 are mounted to the rear heat-generating part 11 in the rear case 12.
In order to eliminate heat generated from the electronic product constructed as described above, an outlet opening 12A is formed at one side of the rear case 12. At the other side of the rear case 12 is formed an inlet opening 12B. On the rear heat-generating part 11 of the electronic product is mounted a heat sink 14 such that heat generated from the heat-generating part 11 is discharged to the air through the heat sink 14.
As described above, the conventional fanless-type cooling device has an advantage in that the cooling device is operated without noise. In the conventional fanless-type cooling device, however, air flows only by natural convection. As a result, cooling efficiency of the conventional fanless-type cooling device is too low, and thus the conventional fanless-type cooling device is not applicable to electronic products that generate high temperature.
As described above, the conventional cooling devices are operated with noise and low efficiency. Consequently, it is increasingly necessary to develop a fanless high-efficiency cooling device.